Respectable TurnoutYesterday’s antiwar actions called in eleven cities by United For
Peace & Justice were billed as regional demonstrations. In fact, because of
their wide geographic dispersion outside the Northeast Corridor, they proved to
be essentially scattered local protests. As this is written reports are still
drifting in but clearly well over 100,000 participated in the eleven events.

Organizers claimed 45,000 in New York, 30,000 in San
Francisco, 7,000 in Seattle, 2,500 in Orlando. Press reports estimated 10,000 in
Boston, 5,000 in Chicago, 1,000 in Salt Lake City. Torrential rain held the
Philadelphia action to a few hundred dedicated marchers. (Rain was also a factor
in New York and Orlando.) I have yet to see any estimates of turnout in Los
Angeles–expected to be substantial, New Orleans, or Jonesborough–hard to
predict. Neither the New York Times nor the Los Angeles Times
chose to report on the local actions in their cities, running only brief
national wire reports.

One gratifying achievement was that UFPJ’s arch rival,
ANSWER, did the right thing and pitched in to support the October 27 call even
though UFPJ had boycotted the ANSWER led March On Washington in September. This
was particularly crucial to the success of the West Coast actions.

In some cities there was significant labor involvement–at
least in terms of endorsements and appearance on speaker platforms. In several
areas the same was true for Black based civil rights, and Latino based immigrant
rights groups as well. Arab-Americans and Palestinian groups were well
represented in most places. Iraq vets led all the marches. In a few places
congressional Democrats spoke to the gatherings.

All in all, the turnout for October 27 was respectable.
The organizers are to be congratulated. But respectability is not our ultimate
goal. Divided antiwar forces are still far short of being the kind of mass
movement needed to have a real impact on the war. I remain convinced that the
sentiment that could build such a movement is out there. The challenge is
forging a strategy, tactics, and unity to realize that potential. UFPJ, ANSWER,
and US Labor Against the War need to work together to find the right formula for
mass action that can finally put a stop to this unjust, and unpopular war.

The Fire Next Time?
No person alive had ever seen such wild fires as have raged–and continue to
rage--through much of California. Wild fires can be a natural occurrence but it
was human activity that sparked the unprecedented scale of the current
conflagration.

I’m not talking about the
suspicion of arson in a few of the fires. A bigger culprit is development of
homes and their infrastructure within recently pristine territory. Wild fires
are a natural method of renewal in such areas and are not respecters of property
rights. Developers started putting fire suppression methods at work to protect
their investments. But these methods lead to a build up of tinder like
vegetation. The net result is when fires inevitably elude suppression they burn
hotter and wider with a vengeance. In just the last four years California has
lost 1.5 million acres to wild fires. That’s double the rate of loss in similar
terrain in Baja California where nature is allowed to run its course.

When you add this problem in with
the drought and the Santa Anna winds that are being influenced by the climate
crisis, you have the makings of a disaster of truly Old Testament proportions.

A bad crisis was made worse in
Orange County–the sixth wealthiest place in the USA–because of penny-pinching
cutbacks on firefighters. Fewer trucks were available for dispatch and those
that went out had only three-person crews instead of the standard minimum of
four. Courage and exhausting hard work by these first responders could not fully
compensate for OC’s “fiscal responsibility.”

I know there are some who feel no
sympathy for the wealthy losing luxury houses blighting the wilderness.
Personally, I feel compassion for anyone losing their home. I’ve been there and
know how they feel. But, in any case, the rich are not the sole or even primary
victims of upscale sprawl.

The majority of fire fatalities
were undocumented immigrant workers. The pollution now hanging over all southern
California affects all classes. Much farm land was wiped out–including most of
the U.S. avocado crop.

Once again we are confronted by
an environmental problem that has great social ramifications–and requires great
social changes in response. SoCal has the unique twin threat of eventual flood
by rising sea level and/or more rampaging fires coming from the other direction.
Perhaps they will lead the way in figuring out a workable solution to their–and
our–future. As everywhere, this will require halting and reversing sprawl.

The Partners Pull It Off
Midweek chances for ratification of the UAW agreement at Chrysler appeared as
likely as the Rockies sweeping the World Series. But General Holiefield, the UAW
vice-president for Chrysler, mobilized staffers and Local officials to hit the
shop floors and managed to secure enough votes in the Detroit area to overcome
rejection at several major assembly plants. The final yes vote broke down: 56
percent of production workers, 51 percent of skilled trades workers, 94 percent
of office and clerical workers, and 79 percent of UAW-represented Chrysler
engineers.

You knew it was going to be close
just from coverage in the major pro-boss press. In addition to the usual
pontificating of academic experts, such as Harley Shaiken, we started hearing
from prominent oppositionists such as Jerry Tucker and Ron Lare. The Detroit
News even printed an opinion piece by Labor Notes editor, Chris
Kutalik. This was not a sign of some new policy of fairness but a recognition
that thousands of UAW members were paying serious attention to alternatives to
the failed policy of partnership.